Readers' choice: Top Connecticut real estate stories of 2016

Lidia Ryan

Published 6:26 pm, Monday, December 26, 2016

Photo: Zillow

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Party house for sale in New Canaan

Life can be all play and no work if you live in the house at 364 Laurel Rd, New Canaan. This seven-bedroom compound now on the market for $12,000,000 comes with a separate "sports barn" dedicated solely to having fun.

According to real estate site, Zillow, the 10,600 sq. ft. recreation and entertainment center is a three-floor structure that includes a basketball court, golf simulator room, movie theater and a game room that features billiards, pinball and a milk shake bar. Read more. less

Life can be all play and no work if you live in the house at 364 Laurel Rd, New Canaan. This seven-bedroom compound now on the market for $12,000,000 comes with a separate "sports barn" dedicated solely to ... more

Photo: Zillow

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Price cut on Mel Gibson's former Greenwich estate

Mel Gibson's former home in Greenwich saw a price cut in 2016. Tucked away in backcountry Greenwich, the 75-acre property once home to Gibson is still on the market, at an asking price of $25,750,000 million for one of Greenwich's "Great Estates." The house went on the market in January of 2015 at an asking price of $31.5 million. Read more. less

Mel Gibson's former home in Greenwich saw a price cut in 2016. Tucked away in backcountry Greenwich, the 75-acre property once home to Gibson is still on the market, at an asking price of $25,750,000 million ... more

Photo: Zillow

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Dennis Leary's Connecticut estate is on the market

A sprawling 51-acre estate tucked away in Roxbury, Conn., is on the market for only the second time in the last 100 years.
As if that wasn't noteworthy enough, it's also home to actor and comedian Denis Leary and his wife, best-selling author Ann Leary.

The colonial estate built in the 1850s features five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a caretakers house with three bedrooms of its own. The property also includes a pool and a barn with horse stalls. The current asking price is $4.9 million by Klemm Real Estate. Read more. less

A sprawling 51-acre estate tucked away in Roxbury, Conn., is on the market for only the second time in the last 100 years.
As if that wasn't noteworthy enough, it's also home to actor and comedian Denis ... more

Photo: Contributed By Zillow

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Michael J. Fox's Connecticut estate hits the market

Actor Michael J. Fox's Sharon estate went on the market in September.
Fox, his wife Tracy Pollan and their and kids moved into the house in
1997 and listed it at $4.25 million. The house is decorated in
a woodsy, Adirondack aesthetic and boasts six bedrooms, five bathrooms,
a pool, a pond, fishing shack and a carriage house. Read more. less

Actor Michael J. Fox's Sharon estate went on the market in September.
Fox, his wife Tracy Pollan and their and kids moved into the house in
1997 and listed it at $4.25 million. The house is decorated in
a ... more

National real estate site, Zillow, rounded up its 10 most popular homes of the past 10 years, and one rapper's infamous Farmington mansion made the cut at number six.
We are, of course, talking about 50 Cent's home currently on the market for $5,995,000. 50 Cent's house has been in the news since he dropped the asking price from the initial $18.5 million back in 2009. Read more. less

National real estate site, Zillow, rounded up its 10 most popular homes of the past 10 years, and one rapper's infamous Farmington mansion made the cut at number six.
We are, of course, talking about 50 ... more

Photo: Alan Goldfinger Photography

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Late billionaire's Connecticut estate hits the market

A rustic estate belonging to the late billionaire Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. hit the market this year for $7,995,000.
Bronfman, who died in 2013 at the age of 84, was the CEO of Seagram liquor and the president of the World Jewish Congress.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Bronfman and his wife split their time between New York City and this 13-acre estate in Westport, Conn., about 60 miles outside the city. Read more. less

A rustic estate belonging to the late billionaire Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. hit the market this year for $7,995,000.
Bronfman, who died in 2013 at the age of 84, was the CEO of Seagram liquor and the president ... more

Photo: Zillow

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Historic Connecticut estate on the market for the first time

After 150 years in the Scoville family, a French Normandy manor called the Scoville Estate in Salisbury, Conn., is up for sale.
Dating back to 1927, the property preserves its original European details and fixtures, according to toptenrealestatedeals.com.
"On 100 acres with uninterrupted mountain views, the property has gardens dating back to the early 20th century and features an 1890 stone and brick water tower with an 80-foot staircase." Read more. less

After 150 years in the Scoville family, a French Normandy manor called the Scoville Estate in Salisbury, Conn., is up for sale.
Dating back to 1927, the property preserves its original European details and ... more

Photo: Toptenrealestatedeals.com

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Once-thriving Connecticut 'ghost town' seeks rebirth

If you've been meaning to relocate to a quite, countryside town complete with a bank, school, general store, and ghosts, well you're in luck.
The small, former mill town of Johnsonville, Conn., in East Haddam's Moodus neighborhood, is on the market for $1.9 million.

The 62-acre town was established in 1802, the town was once a thriving mill community, fueled by the nearby Moodus River, before becoming a Victorian tourist attraction.
Now it sits in its current state as a ghost town, after years of failed transactions to rebuild the town. less

If you've been meaning to relocate to a quite, countryside town complete with a bank, school, general store, and ghosts, well you're in luck.
The small, former mill town of Johnsonville, Conn., in East ... more

A four-story contemporary home, tucked in a small valley near Mianus River Park, sat vacant and decaying for a decade after its original owners picked up and moved to Arizona.
When the dilapidated property came across William Raveis Realtor Phyllis Doonan’s desk two years ago, she called upon a local couple with a background in carpentry to rehabilitate the home.

The North Stamford couple, who declined to give their names for this story, agreed to buy the home at 153 Guinea Rd. for $350,000 in August 2014, and spent their weekends slowly breathing new life into the structure. Read more. less

A four-story contemporary home, tucked in a small valley near Mianus River Park, sat vacant and decaying for a decade after its original owners picked up and moved to Arizona.
When the dilapidated property ... more

Connecticut is home to some truly spectacular houses, including many with celebrity ties.

Click through to see the top 10 real estate stories piqued your interest in 2016.

Readers were eager to see how the other half lives when an over-the-top party house went in the market in New Canaan. The seven-bedroom compound now on the market for $12,000,000 comes with a separate "sports barn" dedicated solely to having fun.

According to real estate site, Zillow, the 10,600 sq. ft. recreation and entertainment center is a three-floor structure that includes a basketball court, golf simulator room, movie theater and a game room that features billiards, pinball and a milk shake bar.